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Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Spectacular Crepuscular Rays

There was one significant moment in my not-so-distant past when I was struck by something so beautiful but I was too dumbfounded, and cranky, to fully appreciate it.

This is not an actual shot of the moment, but it is the closest I have found so far:

Crepuscular Rays Over the Sea, not my image.

Back then, I did not know what it was called. I did not have the words to describe it.

I could not capture the spectacular view with my camera either for I was inside a moving vehicle, and it was very early in the morning. I had not even had coffee yet. And I was under the worst mood in the world. There was a heaviness in my heart, and then this breathtaking sight was pointed out to me. Like a sign from God, I was told.

Now, months later, just because I am wearing brand-new reading glasses, I get to use a scientific, four-syllable word in this blog: "crepuscular." I did some research about what I witnessed that unforgettable morning and found out that what I saw were crepuscular rays of the sun, which are "columns of sunlit air streaming through gaps in clouds... [creating] stunning displays of light and shadow." (See 20 Incredible Crepuscular Rays) They are like heavenly spotlights, or angelic steps.

That unforgettable morning, the stunning sun rays seemed to pierce through the clouds and bathe the ocean as we were driving by, and I did not want to blink so as not to miss anything. I closed my eyes only after the view was out of sight and imprinted the image in my heart.

At that particular moment, I really needed to hear from God for I was making huge life decisions. I found that it was hard to listen when my own heart was confused. In hindsight, I ask, what other sign could I have needed?

I could have read into the sign based on my situation at the time. I could have heard what I wanted to hear, and this could not have been the entire truth. I could have been wrong about some aspects of those decisions I had to make.

But I could not have been wrong about the beauty of the crepuscular rays, which I witnessed from a part of earth I was not sure I would ever see again, at the most perfect, opportune time. All the things that had happened immediately before and after that could fade and be forgotten, but the exact moment that the sun, the clouds, and the sea formed an image that showed me a way to the heaven in my heart would forever be one of the most majestic moments of my life.